Monday, July 30, 2007

Our midwife appointment went smoothly. Midwife A. measured Co's fundus for the first time. It was 22 1/2 which is fine for 21 weeks (fundal height is roughly equal to number of weeks pregnant, so it's on the big side). Flipper also measured larger than the stats in our pregnancy books at the ultrasound (he was almost a pound) so Co is slightly concerned that he will be a big baby.

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As per my pregnancy planner, I've set up registries for Flipper. We're more than happy to get as much secondhand/borrowed gear as we can, so hopefully I'll be taking items off of it.

I sent the links to my parents, just in case anyone asks them for the information. We're way too superstitious for a shower but setting up a registry didn't bother me. Apparently the superstition actually weakened in passage from Mom to me, however, because the very idea freaked her out. She's excited to sponsor a naming for Flipper at our congregation, though, which really touched me.

So on the topic of baby gear: what do we need??

We have a stroller, and will be using Nephew S's infant car seat since any day now he will be graduating to his big boy seat! I have a pretty good idea what we'll be getting for Flip to sleep in (Graco P@ack n' Play Tr@vel Lite). Grandmom (my mom) has put herself down for the changing table/dresser (if you have recommendations for a good combo let me know!). A particular mystifying issue is the Diaper Pail. We will probably be using disposables*. Suggestions? And what other Stuff is essential? Both general advice, and mentions of/links to specific products, welcome.

*a) Laundry is in the basement, not our apartment, and not many washers/dryers for the number of apts in the building.b) Shared washers means no control over detergents that go in the washers.c) We will look into cloth diaper service but have heard through the grapevine that that's no longer available in our neck of the woods.d) That is all. No discussion necessary. :-)

Sunday, July 29, 2007

It's been too long since I participated in Photo Friday! I don't really have a lucky charm. And I'm not sure what my favorite T-shirt is. (Co did give me one with three dachshund back-ends and the caption "Nothing BUTT doxies!")

I present to you my little cousin S.:

She is 5, and her favorite color is pink. This is not the pinkest outfit she wore while we were there. Apparently it's a new, and socially-influenced phase; her favorite color used to be green. My sister was obsessed with pink from the age of 2 or 3 and S. reminds me of her...the nursery school teacher even took my mom aside to ask her to put my sister in less frilly clothes, so she could get dirty and play outside...and my mom had to explain that she could not get my sister into anything BUT pink frilly dresses.

Friday, July 27, 2007

I started going to CA for my training, in a town called S@n Anselmo. I met Co at the airport when she flew out, and from there we headed into the city (S@n Fr@n). We walked around the C@stro a little, then headed to P@lo Alto where my cousins (my dad's first cousin P. and her husband M.) live. Their teenage daughters (12 and 14) were fighting over a hair straightener, and the house looks like a B@th and Body W*rks explosion. Ah, the joys of adolescence.

We spent a day in the city, where we visited tourist attractions extraordinaire: Fisherm@n's Wh@rf, the C@nnery, Ghir@rdelli Square (YUM). We both loved seeing the water, and I got a huge kick out of the sealions. I even took video.

Then we drove south to my first cousin C. (I only have one) near S@nta Cruz. She has two kids, 5 and 20 months, and I last saw them just over a year ago. Oh, the changes! C. and her husband R. have a small RV, which was pretty cool to see. We drove it over to a park with amazing redwoods. There is one tree with a hole inside that you can climb into...apparently people used to rent it as a honeymoon suite!! We also went to the beach, and had the lollaberries (alollaberries? I am really wondering about this).

I started reading HP 7 on the plane home, and I'm savoring it, though Co may lay down the law soon so she can get her turn. I am looking forward to the conversations with you-all! But am obviously keeping my head in the sand for now.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

(The sono tech said this was his "gender." Actually, "sex" means that he has XY chromosomes, while "gender" is a construction of society. Personally, I think that some people mistakenly think that "gender" is a more correct term because it sounds fancier. Or, my lovely wife suggests, because they're afraid to say "sex.")

He also appears to be healthy.

And his ears stick out. (Co says these are the cursed ears from her family -- her dad and her brother had/have them too -- but I think it's adorable.)

The doctor used the word "big" to describe his boy-part. Should Mama be proud? Co wants me to erase that line, but our compromise is that I'm revealing myself as the tackiest member of our partnership (hello, I think you all knew that).

We also found out a few days ago that Co's friend, CF, who shares her due date, is also having a boy.

Winner of the sex-guessing pool TBA. (I still want to blog more about our vacation, too.)

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

A longer post about our time in CA will come in a day or two. Here are some teasers:

*The training I attended is for a program called S.E.E.D. It's really meaningful, delves deeply into issues of racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, and other such forms of oppression. A rare opportunity to really recharge my batteries as a teacher. I'll be happy to share info with anyone who's interested!

*We had a great time visiting cousins from both sides of my family. We partook of fun tourist crap in S@n Fr@n and hung out with my two endearingly teenaged cousins in P@lo Alto. Then we went south to see my first cousin (my only one) near S@nta Cruz. She has two kids, 5 and almost 2, and they are too adorable and delightful. 5-year-old S. was really excited about her cousin Flipper, and even introduced Co's belly to her playdate ("Slipper" in S-speak).

*We had lollaberries for the first time. Anyone know what these are? They were really, really yummy. The little cousins picked them and the grownups made lollaberry crisp.

*Even though I said I would wait 'til I got home to pick up HP7, I broke down on the evening of 7/21 and called bookstores in P@lo Alto until I found one that had copies left and was still open. I'm not proud that it was a chain, but you do what you have to. (We finally get to see the movie tomorrow!!)

Monday, July 16, 2007

I write this from the dorm room that I'm sharing with another participant in a week-long staff development training. We're being housed at a boarding school in Marin County. Even I have to appreciate the Nature of the place, it's really quite beautiful. (I'm always struck that different parts of the country, and of the world, have distinctly different scents based on the vegetation.)

I will write more about the training when I get home because educators, you must get this into your schools. Amazing, amazing stuff. (But for now I'll be vague so as not to betray my exact whereabouts.) For now I'll say this: it's the first multicultural training I've been to that is truly integrated, probably half white and half folks of color. There's also diversity in terms of gender, sexual orientation, and class to some degree. Several black men have commented on how great it is to be with other black men who are engaged in the process. How often do you hear that?? Good stuff.

A final nerdly note: I've never been successful in listening to the radio on an airplane, but for some reason, it worked on the trip out here. I could have sworn that in the past I've only gotten static.

Anyway, I listened to my walkperson all the way across the country. I heard local stations as we rose above New York...then Lancaster, PA...then Harrisburg...then Ohio...then Illinois...then Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, and Wyoming stations all came in at once (that Four Corners thing)...then Utah (hi,Chicory!)...Nevada...Sacramento...and finally San Francisco.

I found this to be amazingly cool. I hope I can do it on the way home.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

This topic was meant for us, since Co and I love the beach. Truly love. We are both serious worshipers of the ocean, and love to ride the waves. (Though we also enjoy lying on the sand with a stack of books.)

Last summer we took a belated honeymoon (our wedding was in 2005) to a wonderful, LOO retreat in St. Cr*ix. This picture is of the beach literally in the backyard of the resort. Click on the picture to see the rest of the set.

We seriously recommend this place if anyone is looking for a place to go in the Caribbean. The prices are extremely reasonable (it's the airfare to the USVI that made the honeymoon a splurge).

Here are some pictures that show our long history of beach-going. We are both two in these pictures; Co's (the first picture, with dark hair) is at Wildwood on the Jersey Shore, mine is probably on Cape Cod though I'm not certain.

Finally, here is a bonus pic, of Maggie at the beach. Oh, you thought we'd go a Photo Friday with no Maggie pix, did you? Fear not. Maggie also loves the beach. She's not such a fan of the waves, but as I've noted elsewhere, she loves to dig, run on the beach, chase birds and the bubbles in the ocean, and of course, scavenge for gross things to eat. Here she is in Cape M@y, where we hope to go later this summer. It's a great spot for dog-friendly beaches!

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Yes, we went here! There are many more pictures on flickr (click on any of the pictures in this post to see the set).

It seems that 7-11 has, in order to promote the upcoming film, transformed a select number of its locations into Kw*k-E-Marts. Co read about this on Sea Inn Inn (thanks, Cali) and then, being as she is a crazed S*mpsons fan, we found the one in our neck of the woods. Look here to see if there's one in your town.

It was a ridiculous amount of fun. We were so not the only lunatics there with cameras, shooting away, while a few ordinary customers squeezed past and wondered what was going on.

Co bought a limited edition R@dioactive M@n comic for brother J. who, like Co, heavily peppers all conversation with S*mpsons quotes. You can get a Squ*shee, B*zz Cola, Kr*sty-O's, and pink donuts, though they were out of everything but the first item. The photo-ops were endless...

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

We are looking for a lawyer to help us with: creating wills, possible name changes (post on that drama forthcoming), my adoption of Flipper. Ideally, the same person would handle all of it. Anyone who lives near us (in the Apple) have any recommendations?